Category: Release

Posted on by — Leave a comment

100kg marlin on a Mydo off Port Shepstone today

100kg marlin on a Mydo off Port Shepstone today

At 4 am this early morning, whilst I was tossing and turning (dreaming of marlin perhaps) with another bout of the Big M. (Malaria) – I sensed some activity outside.

My brother Marc was back from Angola. And he had his son Brandon and his mate Tristan Roodt.

They were prepping the good boat Niteshift, and soon headed out through the Umzimkulu River mouth, into a rough and ready ocean. All confused from the day before as the south and north wind argued like they have been. From my angle, the wind just blew and blew, but with high tide all day, I knew they could return anytime they liked really.

But they didn’t.

The first Instagram video came through – wasting time with a shark.

But then silence. For ages.

The wind got right up again. 20 Knots or more. Ideal dorado weather. And marlin!

And so it was, the early birds, after spending a good few hours getting into the swing of the day, found the worm.

The dorado came screaming in and a total of five eventually made it into the hatch for a free boat ride. Many got away and lost out.

Delicious dorado for dinner! Reward for releasing the marlin!
Delicious dorado for dinner! Reward for releasing the marlin!

At one point, Marc took a look at his plugging outfit looking all lonely. So in sympathy, he picked it up and gave it a lob. As it hit the water, without any sign or warning, a tasty little yellowfin tuna smashed it! Luck? I dunno?

Marlin!

Then all of a sudden, there it was. An angry 100kg plus marlin picked on the blue number 2 Mydo Livebaitswimmer, armed with those reliable 5x little black trebles from Mustad.

Not wanting to cause the fish too much distress before he let it go, Marc pushed the drag right up and gave the jumping, dancing fish the gears. In 25 minutes he had the fish beat and behaving in front of the boat?! Marc pulled the tiny trebles out easily enough, and sent it on its way a lot more wily and suspicious of those Mydos and how good they are rigged!

The Mydo LiveBaitSwimmer is just like a Baitswimmer, but it has a strong little single hook to pin the lively live bait with. There are two weights, 1 Oz and 2Oz, so you can keep your livies away from eachother, on the drift, or on the troll.

More about the lure Marc used to catch this marlin today…and details of which shops carry The Mydo range can be found at https://thesardine.co.za/mydo/

https://thesardine.co.za/product/mydo-live-baitswimmer-2/

If your local tackle store does not stock our homegrown and proven brand, then by all means, please buy online!

Catch The Mydo on Facebook at http://facebook.com/mydofishinglures/

 

 

Share
Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Bonefish of Mozambique

Jimmy Bonefish regularly catches these world record potential bonefish in summertime

The Bonefish of Mozambique

The bonefish of Mozambique – well Inhambane in this case. Often this time of year (Summer), whilst working the shallow waters between Tofo and Tofinho, big silver fish can be seen lolling about the surface. Their silver backs are exposed as they dart this way and that, seemingly on the feed. But cast after cast and all you might get out of them is a look. Dropshots don’t work, nor do spoons or plugs. I am sure they will take a well-presented fillet bait, but they won’t touch a rapala or even a daisy chain.
Bonefish!
Right behind the Tofo headland is where the shoals of huge bonefish swim...
Right behind the Tofo headland, is where these shoals of huge bonefish swim…
Some local subsistence fishermen know where and how to catch the smaller ones. Right in the surf zone, in the white waters below the cliffs, with bait won off the rocks at low tide.
But Jimmy, our fishing champion, based on the point at Tofinho…knows how to catch the big ones.
He has taken 5 in an evening…on squid bait!? And the size? Average 6 or 7 kilos!
Even Jimmy’s clients (he is a great rock ‘n surf fishing guide), have taken 2 or 3 in a session, using this method.
Highly acclaimed as a prizefighter, bonefish are extensively hunted on the flats of the Florida Keys in the USA. It’s one of the biggest sport fishing industries there is. And all on fly.
Saltwater fly fishing grew enormously as a result of these fiesty and fussy game fish.
Permit (pompano to us) and tarpon frequent the same waters as bonefish and many fishing guides and charters take their clients fishing for these acclaimed fish, all over the South.
But. In the USA,  they hardly get half the size of the behemoths hanging out on the backline off Tofo and surrounds.
IGFA, the International Game Fishing Association, is the custodian organization for world and regional fishing records. And the all tackle world record bonefish is recorded as being caught in Zululand, South Africa, by Brian Bachelor in 1962. 8.6kgs.
When the bonefish come through here, they are really active. They seem to feed on tiny surface fish and organisms on the backline and the edge of the surf zone, with their otherwise suggesting down facing tiny mouths. In the USA they are fished on the flats on an incoming tide, where they feed on the sand bottom and in and about seagrass fields.
If you are super keen to get onto whipping a few flys about the back line, between Tofo and Tofinho points, and if you can handle a 9 weight, give us a buzz on umzimkulu@gmail.com.
It might be an even better plan…to bring a 12 weight rig too, as kingfish, sailfish, tuna, king mackerel and queen fish also patrol the shallows behind the long, shallow ledge just off the Tofo headland.
And 8.6kgs is an easy target.
Jimmy says he has caught many 9kg bonefish! And bigger!

 

Share
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Marlin release pro Captain Duarte Rato checks in from Bazaruto

It's marlin season down on the KZN South Coast too

Marlin release pro Captain Duarte Rato checks in from Bazaruto

Marlin release pro Captain Duarte Rato checks in from Bazaruto with two more Captain’s Blogs from his recent excursions taming marlin out off Bazaruto.

It’s just amazing, that our eastern seaboard, right on our doorstep, has so many marlin. From as far south as the Cape, and right through KZN and into Mozambique, and further north…our continental shelf wavers and wobbles creating eddies and currents and congregations of all sorts of baitfish. That the marlin are after.

And it’s not only the marlin, we are so fortunate to live here. Huge yellowfin tuna swim these same waters. And wahoo. Dorado. Anywhere in the 80m zone along the shelf will tell a story.

It’s just all about timing.  The weather can really play along, but often times it doesn’t! It has been really otherwise lately, as you can read in Duarte’s report – since that cut off low caused all the trouble a month ago. It seems that if we don’t get a cut off low, then the weather plays along just fine. But the huge pressure difference this last low brought, caused havoc up north. 40 knot easterlies!!! Luckily it gets better and better through November and into December.

Another 4 Marlin Release to finish Ian & Brian´s trip…

The earlier report from this November…

Bazaruto early-mid November ´17 – Green water but big fish…

It’s really quite easy to get out there and tangle with these marlin…get in touch via http://fishbazaruto.com, or check out some budget options Trips and Travel…https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/fishing-experiences/

 

 

Share
Posted on by — Leave a comment

26 Billfish on Day One of 40th OET tournament!

40th OET Tournament

26 Billfish on Day One of 40th OET tournament!

Len Mathews is on on the scene at the 40th OET Bill and Gamefish Tournament, and reports 26 billfish released on the first day!

The Mpumalanga Deep Sea Angling Association is hosting the 40th Mercury OET Bill & Gamefish Tournament – at Sodwana Bay from 6 to 10 November 2017.

Once again this prestigious tournament is proudly sponsored by Mercury Outboards.  This tournament has grown from strength to strength since its inception in the late seventies.  The field is always limited with slots coveted by any billfish enthusiast.

Stay tuned for more updates as they come in.

Thank you Len!

Share
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Bazaruto 2017: 1000lb marlin and other stories

A 1000lb marlin. Released by Vamizi off Bazaruto.

Bazaruto 2017: 1000lb marlin and other stories

Bazaruto 2017: 1000lb marlin and other stories: It’s been a cracker of a season so far, for the small fleet of boats fishing the Bazaruto Archipelago’s waters. Captains Duarte Rato and Morgan O’Kennedy are hard at it every day possible. Quo Vadis is in place. Bazaruto is abuzz with billfish fever right now.

Duarte on Vamizi has been supplying a steady stream of marlin content culminating in this huge fish that the team were able to release in under two hours! Now that’s the way! Enjoy the read…

First time angler catches grander Black Marlin…

Many smaller fish have been caught and released so far. But it’s now that the water gets even warmer, that the big girls start to show up around Bazaruto Island.

This is Duarte’s latest post – the three guys on this trip had huge success. They the same crew who got the thousand pounder above!

Rian Chalmers’ biggest marlin to date

You can read Captain Duarte Rato’s journal of all these incredible fish on the FishBazaruto website at http://fishbazaruto.com. The information in these posts is priceless as Duarte recounts in words, and in his spectacular photography skills…every trip he has done since 2011! Duarte fishes all over the globe and you can get in on the action by making an enquiry on the FishBazaruto website http://fishbazaruto.com.

And check out The Sardine fishing holiday options by using the Trips and Travel menu item above. Or click here…https://thesardine.co.za/product-category/fishing-experiences/.

 

 

Share